


Free Falling

by JustAnotherWriterChica



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Plane Crash, Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-04-30 13:19:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5165255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherWriterChica/pseuds/JustAnotherWriterChica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be a normal flight. Luisa had done her fair share of flying throughout her days in DSM and Beca had done some as well so neither were really worried about Luisa stepping on the plane. Then it malfunctioned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The ride from their apartment to the airport takes about thirty minutes without traffic, but to Beca it had only felt like two seconds. "You're sure you packed everything? Toothbrush? Hairbrush? Glasses? Black leather outfits?"

"Maus, it is far too hot in Texas for black leather outfits." Luisa rolled her eyes at Beca's fretting, although she still found it quite adorable.

"Oh come on, just humor me once in awhile. So you have everything?" Beca pulled into the farthest spot from the airport itself to create more time for her to say goodbye. Luisa was flying to Texas to meet up with DSM while they're touring. She would be spending two weeks away from Beca and it physically hurt her to even think about Luisa's absence.

"Yes Beca. I have everything, just like I did in the apartment, and at the first intersection, and the next stoplight, and when we got onto the highway. Stop worrying Maus, I will be perfectly fine. Also I am a grown adult and can buy things at the store if I need them." Luisa pulled her suitcase out of the trunk while Beca grabbed her duffel bag and they started their walk to the main building. Luisa grabbed Beca's hand, interlocking their fingers and swinging them back and forth while they walked.

Beca grinned up at Luisa but it slowly disappeared as they stepped into the airport. "We have to say goodbye here because I won't make it back to the car if we walk any farther." Luisa nodded and began to speak but Beca cut her off. "I love you babe, have lots of fun, travel safe, don't talk to strangers, take lots of pictures, become the Kommissar if you feel the need. Have a great trip and I'll have a surprise waiting for when you get home."

With that Beca dropped the duffel and grabbed Luisa's shoulders, pulling her into a light kiss. It was cut short when Beca let a tear slip down her cheek. "Oh mauschën." Luisa cooed and wiped away her tear, then she wrapped her in a hug, rocking them back and forth for a minute.

Beca wiped at her eyes and pulled back with a quick nod. "Alright babe, go have fun with your scary German nerds. I love you."

Luisa smiled, grabbing her duffel and suitcase. "I love you too. I'll text you before we take off and again when we land okay? Goodbye." Luisa gave her one last peck on the cheek then she turned around and began towards the terminals.

Beca waited until she couldn't see Luisa anymore and then she walked back to her car where she let herself cry a little. The last time they had been separated was for four months and this trip was bringing up bad memories for Beca. "Pull yourself together Mitchell. It's only two weeks right? You can do this. Get some work done. Clean the house. Occupy yourself."

The drive home seemed quick too, but Beca slowly made her way up to their apartment. Upon entering she found Luisa's hoodie which she promptly threw on because it just smelled like her girlfriend. Beca decided she would entertain herself by watching Netflix for the rest of the day.

She was halfway into an episode of Orange Is The New Black when she got a text from Luisa saying that they were taking off in a few minutes. Apparently she was seated between a man who started flirting with her as soon as she sat down and a sleeping granny. Beca laughed at that for a second and shot back a text wishing her luck and a safe trip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beca had made her way through another half hour of tv before her phone started ringing quite obnoxiously. "JESUS!" But when she read the caller ID she automatically answered the phone. "What's wrong? Why are you calling?"

Beca heard Luisa let out a quick breath followed by what sounded like a sob. Actually, she heard a lot of sobbing in the call's background. "Beca there has been a... an accident. Our plane has had a malfunction. I - I'm calling to say goodbye."

Beca almost dropped the phone, but she made a split second decision while she flicked to a news channel covering the story. "I love you. More than you could ever imagine. I love you more than anything else I have ever had and you will always be the best thing that happened to me. Having you has made me happier than any other time in my life." Beca had to stop to force back a sob. 

She was now watching the horror show on tv and the plane looked like it was free falling now.

"Beca, you are my maus and no matter what happens I lo-" The phone went silent and Beca could only watch in stunned silence as the crash played out on her tv. It looked like the plane was going to crash nose first but at the last second the plane straightened out and it was ripping through a wooded area. The scene was bloodcurdling and when the plane finally came to a halt there were a few brief seconds of calm before the whole back half of the plane caught fire and exploded.

That was when the newscasters came back onto the screen reporting about the crash. Cause. Location. Damage. Beca didn't really catch any of it. She was on the floor, whimpering and sobbing into her knees, calling out for her girlfriend even though she knew there would be no response. She was shaking uncontrollably and she had covered her ears, trying to drown out real life and let her emotions out.

She went on the same way for about two hours. She got a lot of calls in that time, mainly from Chloe and Pieter, calling to check on Beca and to see if she had any information on Luisa or the crash. After about another hour she calmed herself down enough to listen to the news about the crash. 

There had been a handful of survivors and they were being transported to a hospital that was only a 45 minute drive from the apartment. The news hadn't gotten any information on the identity of the survivors but they were encouraging family members to go check the hospital.

Beca tried to reign in her hope because there was a good chance that Luisa was not in the handful of survivors but she still found herself sprinting to the car and speeding down the highway to check anyways.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When she finally got to the hospital Beca couldn't bring herself to open the car door. Beca was crying and trembling, trying to find the courage to go hear the impending the news. She couldn't stand the thought of losing Luisa and she could feel the car closing in on her as she almost fainted. No matter what she did she could not catch her breath or make the car stop shrinking. So she called Chloe.

"Chloe. I-I-I can't go in. B-but I have to. He-help me." Beca panted out a plea to her best friend hoping that Chloe could talk her through this.

"Beca, honey, just breathe, okay? In and out can you do that for me? Just a few slow breaths." Chloe waited to speak again until she heard Beca's breathing begin to even out. "Good. Now give yourself a minute and think about why you should walk into the hospital. Luisa could be there! You could walk in and find her in a hospital bed and then you guys can work through this together. Stay positive Becs, you've never done anything to deserve this kind of hell."

"Okay. Okay." Beca steeled herself and slowly pushed open the car door. When it had opened all the way she slowly pulled herself up and out of the car. "I-I can do this. Thanks Chlo." 

And with that Beca hung up her phone and shoved it in her pocket. She started the walk towards the hospital but by the time she was halfway there she was sprinting and threw herself through the doors and towards the front desk.

"Where are the survivors of the plane crash?" She wheezed at the woman sitting behind the front desk. The nurse gave her a pitiful look and lead her up the stairs and through a maze of turns to a waiting room.

"Most of the vic- survivors are in surgery right now but I can get you a list of their names. Alright sweetheart?" She patted Beca on the shoulder and turned back the way they had come from.

Beca took a seat and looked around the waiting room, taking in her surroundings.

The room was painted a soft orange, much like a sunset, and the chairs were a matching green. The room had a giant window that looked out to the hospital garden, which was in full bloom. It would've been really nice and peaceful, except the room was filled with crying people and huddled families.

It was another twenty minutes before the nurse came back with the list she promised. "Okay folks, here's the list of everyone who came to the hospital from the crash. Could everyone here for them please step forward?"

Beca shot out of her seat and ran up to the nurse only giving them about six inches of personal space. The nurse gave her a bewildered look and took a step back adding another six inches of space. Then she looked down at her list and started to rattle off the names. "Grace Lindel, Marie Jiles, John Tiedeman," as she continued to read the names people filed out to find their loved ones until it was down to Beca and four other people left in the room.

"We have two other people in surgery so if you all don't mind- " She was cut off by a beep from her walkie talkie. She lifted it up and held it to her ear, nodding as she listened to the garbled information. "One survivor was just brought in and treated, now in room 312, a Luisa Adler. She-"

The nurse was cut off by a loud sob, followed by a screeching thank you towards the ceiling from Beca who had dropped to her knees. She then got up and ran down the halls looking for room 312, although she didn't know she was on the wrong floor.


	2. Chapter 2

When Beca finally found her way to room 312 she practically broke the door down. She had to pause though, when she saw her girlfriend through the glass window, lying perfectly still. 

Beca took a big breath and pushed back the tears, slowly opening the door and sliding into the white room.

Luisa was asleep. Or maybe sedated? Her eyes were shut and she didn’t react to Beca’s touch but she was breathing was all that Beca could tell at the moment. 

But for now, it would be enough. 

She was fortunate, to say the least, Luisa looked to be in pretty good shape for someone who had just survived a plane crash, except for some of the nasty bruises covering her face. But Beca couldn’t shake the feeling that a hammer was about to drop, of course this whole thing was awful, but it seemed like it had turned out too well. 

Beca could worry about that later though, for now she just decided to compartmentalize and focus on the steady rise and fall of Luisa’s chest, letting the rhythmic beat of the heart monitor calm her. 

Between the emotional rollercoaster she had been on today and the exhaustion from crying for so many hours Beca fell asleep soon, head resting on Luisa’s leg, hand interlaced with the german’s.

 

Her peaceful sleep was interrupted by a scream that could only be described as pure terror ripping from her girl friend’s throat. The sound was animalistic, as was the look in Luisa’s eyes and her thrashing movements.

Beca jumped to action, moving instinctively, trying to catch Luisa’s arms which were clawing around her hips and thighs, now starting to move towards the IV in her arm. 

When she finally got a grip on one arm the other wasn’t as hard to grasp and as soon as she held both of them she pinned them to Luisa’s sides. Beca quickly climbed onto the bed, placing her legs next to Luisa’s hips and hovering over the blonde, trying to keep her as still as possible, after all she still didn’t know how bad Luisa’s injuries were.

Beca froze when she realized Luisa was still screaming and shouting, some of it in english but mostly in german. The words that came out of Luisa’s mouth were enough to make Beca let out a sob.

Luisa was begging for her life. 

Pleading for someone, anyone, to help her. 

To do something. 

After a few more seconds of listening in stunned silence Beca forced herself to help her girlfriend. “Luisa? Luisa.”

Luisa stopped flailing and stared at Beca for a moment before she threw her head to the side and continued to shout and moan in german. “Luisa you need to stop! Please!”

Beca released Luisa’s wrists, pulling away for a second when Luisa stopped reacting all together, then moved to run the back of her hand soothingly across the side of Luisa’s face and to stroke her hair. 

Luisa broke down again, this time it was just sobbing and trembling, none of the violence and terror of the previous emotional wave. 

Beca let her ride this one out, climbing down from where she hung over the woman and sat back in her seat next to the hospital bed, letting her own tears fall silently.

After a few minutes Beca’s tears had dried up and she realized the room had become silent again, the heart rate monitor which had been beeping furiously five minutes ago was now back to its original steady beat. 

Luisa had fallen asleep.

Beca shook her head and laughed quietly, allowing herself the simple pleasure she knew she might not get as often now. Giving herself a break Beca dozed off as well, although it was an annoyingly light sleep this time as she was waiting for another panic attack from Luisa.

 

Beca woke up a few hours later to a tap on her shoulder, instantly moving towards Luisa. Then someone cleared their throat and Beca turned around to find a woman who looked not much older than Beca herself. Oh, the doctor, Beca deduced from the girl’s lab coat, standing up to speak with her.

The woman spoke in a hushed voice, thankfully recognizing Luisa’s need of sleep and Beca’s fragile state, “Hi, I’m Luisa’s doctor, Adrianna Roberts. Call me whatever you want but I hope you like me because we’re gonna need to get to know each other pretty well. You can probably tell that Luisa has a long uphill battle ahead of her?”

Beca smiled at the woman’s calming demeanor and her genuine concern. “I’m Beca Mitchell, call me whatever you want I guess, nice to meet you Adrianna.” 

She offered the woman her hand which Adrianna shook firmly, nodding to Beca. “I really appreciate your concern for Luisa, it’s nice to know someone else if here for us.” 

Adrianna smiled brightly, “I’m known for that around here. I’m just as clingy as any other doctor but trust me, my patients are my number one priority and I will be with you two one hundred and ten percent. I’ll probably hang around once Luisa gets better too, you know, if you like me.” 

Adrianna gave Beca a wink like she already knew exactly how this whole process would go, which was oddly reassuring to Beca. “You have no idea how thankful I am for that and if I were less of a wreck I’d have an actual conversation with you. But for now, please, just tell me how she is.”

The doctor nodded and looked over her charts quickly before meeting Beca’s gaze again. “Luisa is actually in pretty good shape for someone who just survived a plane crash. She has a couple burns on her back but they should heal pretty soon without much scarring.”

“Her ribs,” she put down her chart and showed Beca which ribs using her own body, “these four, are bruised but these three are broken. They’re small breaks though and with the proper amount of rest she’ll be fine after six weeks or so.”

“She’s got a minor concussion but that’s easily fixed compared to the rest of her body, it’ll just make her a little uncomfortable. What I’m really concerned about, is her left leg.”

Adrianna walked around the bed and pulled the sheets back to reveal Luisa’s leg. It was enough to make Beca have to choke down some bile. 

Her leg was basically a giant bruise, the german’s normal porcelain skin now an ugly black and purple from her ankle to mid thigh. There were two stitched up incisions, probably six inches long, on her calf, along with multiple other scratches in that area. Luisa’s leg was also extremely swollen and her knee looked like someone attacked her with a metal bat. 

Beca shuddered and felt hot tears begin to prick her eyes, but before any could fall Adrianna placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Before I continue do you want some good news or some not so good but not so bad news?”

She drew in a quick breath before answering, “Not so good, I guess.”

Adrianna nodded. “Okay when she was brought in we had to bring her into surgery immediately and during the procedure she almost lost her leg but we were able to fix the problem and saved her leg. But with the amount of damage done to her bones, muscles, and her tendon she is going to need at least a year of some pretty intense physical therapy.”

Beca let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, nodding she replied. “That’s not so bad. Better than losing her leg right? And it’s probably a lot better than anyone else from the crash?”

“I wouldn’t know, when Luisa came in she became my priority and I kind of ignored the rest of the victims, as awful at that sounds. I think everyone who was brought in survived though.” Adrianna smiled, glancing over at Luisa who had shifted in her slumber.

“Well that’s good!” That actually made Beca feel a lot better. “So what was that good news you were gonna tell me?”

“Good news...” Adrianna stared into space for a second before snapping back to reality, “Oh right! Luisa is gonna get a pretty sweet cast and other than the physical therapy, bed rest, and pills there’s really nothing major she needs. And I know a great therapist so as soon as Luisa’s up to it I can give him a call and set something up for you guys.”

Beca smiled at the women’s perky attitude. “I don’t know what to say, about any of this, other than thank you.”

“What are doctors for right?” Adrianna patted Beca’s back as she walked past her, “I have to go but when Luisa wakes up again get a nurse to page me.”

Beca nodded and watched her leave, then she realized how tired she still was and sat down in her chair, opting to check her phone over sleep, in case Luisa woke up. 

Ten missed calls from Chloe and twenty seven from Pieter, as well as texts asking Beca for updates from those two, the Bellas, and DSM. She texted Chloe and Pieter to tell them that Luisa was okay, her leg is pretty bad, and that they would be in the hospital for at least the next couple days. 

Then she put her phone down and shifted in her chair, trying to find a good position to rest in but the piece of plastic was hurting her butt no matter what. 

Still trying to occupy herself, Beca found the remote and flicked on the tv, turning down the volume. She decided on Gilmore Girls and leaned back in her chair, settling in to wait for Luisa to wake up.

 

After three and a half episodes of Gilmore Girls Beca heard Luis starting to stir. 

She shut off the tv and turned to the bed, leaning towards Luisa while trying to give her space at the same time.

Luisa opened one eye slowly but snapped it shut quickly, moaning. “Maus, it’s far too bright in here. Please fix the lights?”

Beca jumped out of her seat and dimmed the lights automatically. “Okay, it’s better now, you can open your eyes.”

Luisa opened both eyes slowly, squinting until her eyes adjusted to the lighting. Then she looked to Beca and let out a huge breath. “Gott sei Dank.”

“Yeah, you have a minor concussion so I should probably go and get you some shades from the gift shop or something. Or I could go home and get your pair, but we’re a good drive away from home so I don’t even know if it’s worth it, but if you want them then I—” 

Luisa stopped Beca’s word vomit by clamping her hand over the younger girl’s mouth. Then she lowered her hand and stared at Beca for a long time, until Beca started to squirm under her gaze. 

“Sorry. You’re just so beautiful and I didn’t—” Luisa’s voice cracked and she paused to take a breath. “I didn’t think that I would ever get to see you again.”

Beca nodded her understanding because she knew if she started talking she would just cry. 

“I love you.” She slowly breathed out.

Luisa nodded silently, staring at Beca lovingly even though she couldn’t form the words to express all the emotions whirling around her head right now. “Küss mich.”

The words came out soft but forceful and Beca instantly moved to Luisa, one hand moving to hold Luisa’s chin up and the other to cradle the back of her head before gently closing the distance between them. 

When their lips met Beca’s eyes shut and she saw fireworks dancing in the darkness. The things this woman could do to her, even after nearly dying, werely just incredible and Beca couldn’t help but smile.

She opened her eyes again to see Luisa’s screwed shut and there were tears dripping down her face but the grin on her lips told Beca everything that Luisa couldn’t say. 

This was all Beca needed to know that things were going to be alright in the end. The hammer had dropped and it turned out just to be a seriously busted leg, but she would take Luisa’s whining about immobility over never hearing her voice again any day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there isn't a lot of Luisa in this chapter and I'm sorry about that but I had to lay some groundwork. Also sorry it took me so long to post this, my life has been a hurricane the past couple months.


End file.
